183. Overcome Fears in Business to Safeguard Your Freedom and Independence

No surprise, today we are talking about freedom and independence, two of my favorite topics. I don't think you're going to be shocked, but my number one value is freedom, and it is the ability to enjoy time. It's the ability to create, share, and make a difference.  We will be talking about freeing ourselves from some specific, universal fears. So, no matter how you celebrate, I hope you can use this episode as a coaching session to breathe, relax into what really matters to you, and notice where you are giving up your freedom and independence. 1. Fear of being seen as failing Can we tell the truth about this? We all have this little voice in our heads asking, "What if they see me fail?" Do you know what I'm talking about? It might be not letting anyone know you've started a health journey because you anticipate falling off the wagon and don't want anyone to know you "failed." We need to understand what failing actually means. Is it missing the mark? Is it not having the exact results we thought we were going to? Or is it not trying at all in the first place? The biggest form of failure for most of us business owners is not even trying. All of us have done this; I'd like to flip that narrative around failure so that it's not so much about the end result.  If you've even produced a result at all, and that result might be getting zero when you were aiming for 100 – that can feel like a failure. But what did you learn? Who did you become in that moment? Successful people realize they won't be perfect all the time. The only way to perfect is to try and learn. Then we tweak and explore and expand. If you have thoughts, an idea, or a nudge to talk to somebody, I want you to consider it a massive success. If you do that, even if "go do that thing" means you write it down or put it in your calendar for the following week -- that's a massive success. Right there between you and me, you've already done more than 90% of most people. I'd love for us to free ourselves from the idea that only the end result matters.  2. The fear of going big How many of us have a fear of success, a fear of going big? And I think for women, it's like, "If I succeed at one more thing, more people are going to need me." I totally get it. If I succeed at that one thing, people will expect me to do it again. They're going to expect me to get better. I don't want us to live there.  As we get bigger and succeed, what we must do in those moments is check in with us as we succeed. If we do that, there's nothing to fear. I have come to understand that this fear of success, this fear of going big, is actually that we're afraid we're going to lose "us." People will demand more from us; we're going to feel more lost.  One of the ways that we deal with that so that we can have freedom around success and feel independent around the word success is that we consistently check in with ourselves. Am I happy?  Am I fulfilled?  Do I need to delegate this? Some people are 10s at editing, copywriting – whatever it is, they are 10s at what they love to do! Are they on your team so that you can do your 10? We must remember that success doesn't mean we have to do it all, and, as women, that's what we've been told.  There's so much we can do to free ourselves from this fear of success if we look at how well we trust ourselves, and that is something women are taught not to do. I want to be very clear with you about that. We are taught not to trust ourselves. It will be on us to help each other and cheer each other on as we succeed. What do you need? How can I support you? Do you have the right team? Is there anyone I can refer to you? How do you feel about all this? Being that sounding board for each other, to call each other to our best, even as we succeed, can free us from this fear of success. 3. The fear of judgment The biggest judgment we're afraid of is being seen as starting small. Let's call it out: "Listen, this is my first time doing this. I'd love your feedback, I'd love to know what you guys think about this new business idea, and I'm super excited about it!" That kind of honesty is missing in a lot of places.  Reframe it. How cool is it that someone is starting something new? How cool is it that someone is trying something? We should be screaming to the rafters about how awesome that is for each other and creating an environment where that's a safe thing to do. This idea that everything is possible if we at least get started is one that we can hold onto together; we can free ourselves from the idea that people are always judging us. And they probably are. People will judge you anyway, so you might as well do what you love.  The judgment is an internal monologue; it doesn't affect someone else's life. We can all move past that, and the more we model that for other people, the more other people can follow suit. We are all judging constantly; let's keep moving anyway. We can be honest about that. It loses its power, and you get to write the book and launch the podcast. Do the thing. I have come to understand that there is so much more that we are capable of, and that is not meant to put pressure on you. We create more, and we accomplish more when we're relaxed.  My challenge for you today is to relax. My challenge for you is to observe and watch. Do you see other people being afraid of failure? Do you see other people being afraid of success? Do you see other people being afraid of what people judge them for? Have some compassion for that. That is the path to freedom. You are talking about it openly, having compassion, and honoring your thoughts, dreams, and the little nudges you're getting. Enjoy this time and watch where you are afraid. Watch where you are giving up your freedoms. Watch where you're letting your independence go so that you can get it back. Because you deserve it, and it is no one's to take from you, including your brain. Let's get to it!   Watch: Scared of Going "Big"? Me too. Let's talk. https://www.youtube.com/live/Nc4wVX1FYUE?feature=share  How Long-Term Fear Affects Your Brain https://sarahwalton.com/fear-affects/  How to Stop Doing Stupid Things When You’re Scared https://sarahwalton.com/stop-stupid-things/  What If it’s Not Really Fear That’s Holding You Back? https://sarahwalton.com/fear/  Should You Close It Down Or Keep Going? https://sarahwalton.com/close-or-keep-going/  You can check out our podcast interviews on YouTube, too! http://bit.ly/YouTubeSWalton   Thank you so much for listening. I’m honored that you’re here and would be so grateful if you could leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, and clicking “Write a review.” Then we’ll get to inspire even more people! (If you’re not sure how to leave a review, you can watch this quick tutorial.)  #OvercomeFear #FourthOfJuly #FearOfFailure #IdentifyingEmotions #FreedomEntrepreneur #Freedompreneur #BusinessMotivation #WomenInBusiness #IntuitiveBusinessCoach #SalesCoach #SuccessMindset